Time:
- Prepare: 10 min
- Implementation: 5 min
Type(s) of Essential(s):
Prerequisite:
- Complete one or more activities
Overview
The video closet is an area where educators write a question and learners video record their responses.
Essentials in the Activity
Educators pose questions to learners that prompt them to engage in meta-cognition and reflect on their game experiences. Questions help learners connect components of the Transformational Design Framework with daily activities and gameplay and deepen their understanding of design.
Goals and Outcomes
Goal: Learners reflect on their experiences related to the questions (e.g., gameplay, concepts presented in sessions) and articulate their responses in a clear and comprehensive manner for a viewer.
Outcomes: Learners build their reflective thinking skills by responding to questions that explore issues where they offer their perspective and reinforce their knowledge and skills related to game design and media literacy. The responses provide educators insight about learners’ experiences (e.g., if they are grasping concepts, feedback on games in development).
Materials
In-person: Video recording device (video camera, tablet, etc.), white board or blank paper, marker, chair Online: Tool like Flipgrid where users can submit responses
Preparation
Complete one or more activities. Decide a question to ask learners related to activities of the session. Question examples:
- “Give an example of how a game changes a player.”
- “How would you describe what you did this week, if you were talking to someone your age?”
- “After playing the game, how do you feel or think about …? Tell us more about why.”
In-person set-up: Select a private space, such as a small room or area with minimal foot traffic. Place a camera on a tripod, and a chair across from it. Next to the camera, place a whiteboard or blank paper and write a question.
Online set-up: Select an online video recording tool learners can access (e.g., Flipgrid). Post question in a way learners can easily access based on its features (e.g., bulletin board, discussion post).
Implementation and Completion
In-person: Conduct this activity at the end of the day simultaneously with others, since only one learner can record their response at a time. As each learner enters video closet space, review the question with them and ask if they need any clarification. Then step away, giving them time to record their responses and leave the area at their own time.
Online: Provide an overview and demo of the tool and send learners a link for recording their responses. Learners can record responses for “homework” or out-of-session time.
In both session types, remind them to start recording when they are ready to answer and stop recording when they have completed the question, and that educators & other authorized staff will review their responses.